She said Aberystwyth had paid a heavy price for “huge over-recruitment” of students in 2011 when numbers went up by 20% and facilities “weren’t quite what they should have been”.

Announcing her departure late last year, Prof McMahon said she was “immensely proud” of her achievements.

She said Aberystwyth was a “very special university” – but acknowledged there were “difficulties we have had to confront”.

'Aberystwyth recovering strongly'

Aberystwyth wants to “consistently rank” in the top 30 universities in the UK by 2017 but came 108th in the latest Guardian University Guide and 56th in tables published last month by The Times and The Sunday Times.

The university’s chancellor Sir Emyr Jones Parry said: “As the 2016 NSS results show, Aberystwyth University is recovering strongly and was the fourth ranked conventional university in Britain and the first in Wales for overall student satisfaction.

“It’s operating under the strong leadership of the council and the acting vice-chancellor, Prof John Grattan, and has positive plans in place to rise to the challenges confronting the sector.

“Meanwhile the process to appoint a permanent vice-chancellor is under way and the university expects to make an appointment by the new year.”